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19 metrics that matter the most for your mobile app

When it comes to determine the success of an app, mobile app developers have a plethora of metrics to choose from. However, it is not an easy task to determine which metrics matter the most for your app.

In earlier days, app developers would measure the success of their app based on Analytics. These statistics would determine the popularity of mobile app as well as provide necessary feedback to the app developers. Then came the time, where app developers used download count and ratings of apps as a basis to determine its success. These were the performance metrics of mobile apps that everyone can keep track of.

However, time has changed and there are better ways to gauge the success of your app. There are dozens of metrics that help you draw insight of your app. It is very important for developers to stay informed about how well their apps are performing and how to make their app better. Here are a few indispensable mobile metrics that matter most for your mobile app.

1. Use of your app

It is essential to get acquainted with the navigation flow within the app, as it allow you to know which screens the users are going and which screen made them stay hooked with your app. For instance, if you have a gaming app, this metric will tell you which level is difficult and which is easier. You can see the navigation flow within each screen to see if the users are following the arranged process or not.

2. User retention

User retention can be described as the percentage of users that return to the app after their first visit. IN a survey, it was found that more than 20% of the apps are used only once and if you want to prevent your app from ending up with one user, you should know the user retention value. It is important to know how often the users return to your app. The more committed and loyal your customers are —- the better monetization strategies you can develop.

3. Session length

The session length is another important metric that matters a lot for your app. This is the period of time between the open and close of your app, which indicates how much time your users are spending in your app. All you need to do is calculate how long a user is in your app from the time they open till the time they are active. Once you have gathered relevant data, you can segment the users to see which groups spend more time in your app. If you want to unlock the revenue potential in your app, it is must to track the length of sessions.

4. Churn

Churn can be defined as the measure of what was lost during the given period of time. This can be in terms of subscribers, dollars, customers and other factors. To calculate the churn, you should divide the number of customers lost in a month by the total number of customers in prior month. Similarly, you can calculate the subscribers, dollars etc.

5. Average Revenue per user (ARPU)

If you develop a mobile app, it is must that users start using it or they are committed to use it. The ARPU app is used for this purpose, where the average revenue per user is calculated by adding up the revenue obtained from users and dividing it by the total number of users. This metric is very important as it help the mobile developers know how to make it all profitable.

6. User acquisition cost (UAC)

It is essential for developers to know how much it costs to acquire a user. This data is useful to estimate how much to spend on advertising. The user acquisition cost is calculated by adding up all the expenses allocated to acquire new users during a given period of time and dividing this figure by the total number of users acquired during that period.

7. Customer lifetime value (LTV)

Customer lifetime value is an important metric that help developers calculate user value. It’s the result of multiplying Average Revenue per User (ARPU) with average customer lifetime. This data enable you to calculate estimates about product release and capital requirements. Each mobile app will have its own mobile marketing metrics and you can use some of them based on your requirements.

8. Number of users

The number of people using your mobile app is very important to let you calculate the retention rate of the app. This metric let you know if the same user has downloaded your app multiple times. Gauging the number of users over time will let you calculate the app’s retention rate. The number of people who use your mobile app will vary significantly with the number of installations.

9. Active users

Some users come in the category of active users who engage with the app regularly. These users are not likely to stop using your app. This rate defines the churn rate of an app. In a survey, it was found that the average app engages nearly 45% of its active users every month. In other words, if ten users installed an app, nearly 4 users open the app multiple times in first 30 days of installation.

10. In-app revenue

In-app revenue can be said as the revenue collected from customers as they use the app by unlocking levels, ads, purchasing points and other purchases. These metrics do not include download revenue. You can find the percentage of total revenue driven by the in-app purchases by dividing the monthly revenue of the in-app by monthly recurring revenue.

11. Conversion rate

Conversion rate is usually measured by considering the number of trails or leads in a period of time and dividing it by the number of new customers added during the same period of time. You can increase the number of potential customers by increasing your conversion rate to customer in a small amount of time.

12. Daily and monthly active users

Daily active users (DAU) are the number of active users in a day, while monthly active users (MAU) are the number of active users in a month. To calculate this, you need to count the number of users visited in past 24 hours. If you want to calculate the monthly users, you can do this by keeping track of users visited in the previous month.

13. Download revenue

The percentage of your total company revenue comes from people who download you app from the app stores. You can skip this metric, if your app is free to download. Find the percentage of your total revenue driven by the app downloads by dividing the monthly revenue of your monthly recurring revenue.

14. Crash report

User experience is very important when it comes to grab the attention of large number of audience. Crash report is one of the important metrics that allow you to track the user experience. Frequent crashes will put you in poor taste and will not last longer. No matter how engaging and resourceful your app is, it won’t last longer if the users experience constant crashes.

15. Cost per install

The cost per install is tracked by using paid installs, instead of organic installs. This is the acquisition cost for the customers who installed your app in response to the advertisement. There is another similar app known as cost per loyal user that defines the cost of acquiring a loyal user for marketed apps. The loyal user is the one who uses your app at least 3 times.

16. User conversion rates

Conversion points are the best metrics that ensure that your app is meeting its financial goals through exceptional user experience. These points refer to different events and funnels that trigger paid conversion. You may have conversion points that sit outside the app. The user conversion points are critical for different case of application.

17. User type tracking

Mobile apps should be developed as per the needs of different users. It is must to know users to ensure that you are successfully catering the needs of your audience. There are multiple user types that could use the app at the same time. You can look at the age, industry, gender, income bracket and other details by using this metric.

18. Event tracking

If you want to ensure that a specific task in your mobile app works as expected, you should use event tracking app. Even tracking is the best way to ensure that the specific task happens within your mobile app as expected. It helps you to streamline the app and remove what is not necessary or improve the app for optimal usage.

19. In-app feedback

In-app feedback allows users to report their experience and suggest accordingly for better user experience. This metric help mobile app developer to fix defects quickly or as soon as they receive feedback from the user. This metric is becoming very popular among companies with mobile app presence. Some companies even go far and provide rewards to users who provide valuable feedback.

When it comes to check the performance of the app, there are many metrics. These metrics plays a very important role in developing a successful mobile app. The above metrics are a great place to start with, and you can think of how to measure the success of your app in a great way.

Rahul has been associated with the apps industry for more than 7 years now. He has seen the apps economy grow from its nascent days to a full fledged industry with its complete ecosystem as of today. His interest lies in pursuing and getting to know the best app development technologies, processes and platforms. He is truly an app enthusiast. In his free time he loves playing console games and reading history.

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